I think they went the more barren fields route to relieve the strain on some systems since dense foliage carries with it a high load on the CPU and GPU.
You will be fine. Windows 7 is still Vista back end. I am currently running it on a Vista 64 bit OS and also ran it with no issues on Windows 7 while I was Beta testing it.
Ah, that's right. I forgot the file extension get funky sometimes. Good catch Frank. I thought he had it imported and had a problem. My bad, tired eyes LOL
I would advise building one instead of getting one off the shelf. As stated before, you will be able to upgrade which ever part you see fit as the industry progresses or as your need change. I would suggest getting the best MB you can afford to start with because that will be your base for...
Well, you could go with a 7600 or 7800 card and overclock the CPU about 10% and get away with it until you can get a whole new machine. I would not drop a bunch of money into a machine that dated when you can get one (off the shelf or build your own) that would run RF well for for just over 1k.
I'm not entirely sure but I think there is a a default setting for the graphics in G4. As for the 7300 series card, that is the low end of the mid range series cards. It should run G4 at default setting with a high enough fps to get smooth graphics (in single payer but not in a multi-player...